Former Bisons Francisco, Peralta, Patterson elected to Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame

MAKE AN RSVP: July 30th New Hall of Fame Induction Dinner at Consumer's Pub at the Park

The Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame Committee is proud to announce that former Bisons outfielder BEN FRANSCISCO, infielder JHONNY PERALTA and pitcher BOB PATTERSON have been elected to the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame. The trio of Bisons greats will be formally inducted before and during the Bisons game against the Worcester Red Sox on Saturday, July 30.

NEW THIS YEAR: The Bisons will host a special ‘Hall of Fame Induction Dinner’ featuring Francisco and Patterson before the game on Saturday, July 30 in the Consumer’s Pub at the Park restaurant. The dinner will include an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet from 4-5 p.m. with Induction Ceremonies and Conversations with Francisco & Patterson to follow. To make reservations (fans with tickets already) or to purchase your Buffet or Buffet & Game Ticket Package, visit PubatthePark.com or call (716) 846-2100.

The Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2022 represents the first time since 2015 that three individuals have been elected in the same year and will be the Hall’s first inductees since former catcher Brian Dorsett was inducted during the 2019 season. With the former batting champion, Francisco, former IL Most Valuable Player, Peralta, and former 12-game winner, Patterson, the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame now has 104 members.

Ben Francisco

Francisco played 257 games with the Bisons from 2005-2008 with a .292 average, 63 doubles, 30 home runs, 119 RBI and 153 runs scored. He was the Herd’s Co-Most Valuable Player during the 2006 season, producing 51 extra-base hits, driving in 59 and scoring a team-high 80 runs. A season later, he captured an International League Batting Title -one of only three in the Bisons modern era- by hitting .318 with 27 doubles, 12 home runs and 51 RBI in 95 games. He named an IL Post Season All-Star after the 2007 campaign.

Francisco’s 25-game hit streak in 2006 still stands as the second longest in the club’s modern era and he is one of only seven players to steal 20+ bases in back-to-back years with the Herd (25 in 2006, 22 in 2007). His .320 career batting average at Sahlen Field is the 4th best mark in the history of the ballpark.

Francisco went on to play 563 Major League games in his career with six clubs and hit .253 with 50 home runs and 190 RBI.

Jhonny Peralta

Peralta had arguably the greatest single season in Bisons history, capturing the 2004 International League MVP award while leading a potent Herd offense to an IL Governors’ Cup Championship. At just 22 years old, Peralta hit .326 with a modern era-record 181 hits, 44 doubles (6th in Bisons all-time history) and 109 runs scored to go along with 15 home runs and 86 RBI. In a season that included 55 multi-hit games and no more than two consecutive games without a hit at any point, the campaign earned Peralta Topps/IL Player of the Year and Minor League All-Star Shortstop honors.

Peralta also played 63 games with the Bisons in 2003. His .305 career average with Buffalo is the 6th highest in the team’s modern rea.

Peralta was a three-time All-Star in his 15-year Major League career. In 1,798 big league games with Cleveland, Detroit and St. Louis, Peralta hit .267 with 1,761 hits, 202 home runs and 873 RBI.

Bob Patterson

Patterson did not pitch much during the 1988 Bisons season because of a shoulder injury, but will forever be remembered for the day he took the ball on April 14, 1988. In the first ever game at then-Pilot Field, the southpaw Patterson took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in Buffalo’s 1-0 win over the Denver Zephyrs. Rising to the occasion of a legendary day in Buffalo sports, Patterson finished the historic performance with 8.1 innings of scoreless baseball with seven strikeouts and only one walk allowed.

After going 2-0 with a 2.32 ERA in four starts in 1988 before the injury, Patterson returned to the Bisons for a dominate 1989 campaign. In 31 games and 25 starts, the lefty was 12-6 with a 3.35 ERA and 103 strikeouts to only 35 walks in 177.1 innings of work. He was T4th in the American Association that year with the 12 wins and ranked 2nd on the Herd in ERA and strikeouts. His career .700 winning pct. with the Bisons is the 6th best in the club’s modern era.

Patterson pitched in parts of 13 Major League seasons in his career, going 39-40 with a 4.08 ERA in 559 career appearances.

Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame Committee

The Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame committee is charged with the task of screening all candidates eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame and to select for induction such persons who have made a significant contribution to Buffalo professional baseball, or such Western New Yorkers who have made a meaningful contribution to professional baseball generally.

The committee is comprised of Mike Buczkowski, Tom Burns, Bob Dicesare, Mike Harrington, Kevin Lester, Duke McGuire, Bob Miske and Pete Weber.

-the herd-